Devices to be used in electrical linked networks



Oct. 10, 1961 L. E. PONSY 3,004,234

DEVICES TO BE USED IN ELECTRICAL LINKED NETWORKS Filed May 2, 1960 Fig.2 Ty].

/NVENTOR Louis EMHE Ran/r) ATTORNEYS United States Patent ()fiice Patented Oct. 10, 1961 r 3,004,234 DEVICES TO BE USED IN ELECTRICAL LINKED NETWORKS Louis Emile Ponsy, Montmorency, France, assignor to Societe dite: Precision Mecanique Labinal, Samt-Ouen, France, a society of France Filed May 2, 1960, Ser. No. 26,099 Claims priority, application France Dec. 2, 1959 2 Claims. (Cl. 338-221) The present invention relates to assemblies of the kind known as electrical linked networks, that is to say in which electric resistance units are mounted on a supporting panel by means of elements having various ohmic values, more particularly for diflerential analysers.

The invention consists mainly in providing, for mounting between the coupling points or junctions of the supporting panel, plug-in units arranged so as to permit of the introduction between two junctions of several resistances in series, following a U or a loop terminating at the said junctions, with resistances in parallel when so required, and especially for this purpose to-employ two types of superposable plug units', some of'which are intended to form the resistances of the arms of the U, the others intended to form the top of the U or the parallel resistance or resistances. c

The invention comprises certain other arrangements which will preferably be employed at the same time and will be described in more detail below, in particular:

A second arrangement for storing a minimum number of plugs of ditferent ohmic values, consisting 'in choosing in each decimal place for example, five plugs corresponding to the basic values 1.2, 2.5, 4 and '5, which enables all the numerical values other-than the. basic values to be obtained by the superposition of two or-three of said plug units.

A third arrangement consisting in considering each of these plug-in units, not only in terms of its ohmic value (in ohms), but of its conductance (in mhos), the two values in ohms and mhos being indicated, which-makes it possible by means of the same plug units to obtain rapidly by superposition, all values, both in the case of resistances in series (the ohms being additive) or of resistances in parallel (the mhos being additive); the numerical values specified in the second arrangement referred to above being particularly advantageous because they have substantially the same figures in ohms and in mhos.

The invention will in any case be better understood by means of the further description which follows below with reference to the accompanying drawings, the said description and drawings being understood as given only by way of indication.

FIG. 1 of the drawings illustrates a system of variable resistances with stacked plug-in units for linked networks prepared in accordance with the invention.

FIGS. 2 to 6 show, each in cross-section and the last in plan view, the main plug-in units of the stack shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 illustrates in plan view a panel with junctions (of which some are multiple) intended to receive the plug units of FIGS. 1 to 6.

I If it is assumed that there is to be prepared, according to the invention, a panel 1 (FIG. 7) provided with 2 ing resistances of different ohmic values, the said units being plugged into the said junctions.

This method was characterized by the use of resistances in parallel. Practice has shown that it necessitated the availability of a very large number of plug units of different resistances, and it resulted in a number of tentativeelforts to obtain the ohmic value of the whole unit. In fact, it was necessary to add together the conductances (the resistances being in parallel), and this resulted in diflicult conversion calculations.

In accordance with the invention, the use is contemplated of plug-in units which enable resistances between two junctions of the panel to be added together, this addition involving only simple calculations and requiring only a small number of plug-in units, as will be explained later.

If, for example, it is desired to obtain with an assembly or stack of plug units, a circuit ABCD in the form of a U, of the kind shown in FIG. 1, with resistances r r r r ,-r r recourse will be made to standard plug units selected from an appropriate batch which is available in reserve, these plug runits differing from each other in the ohmic values of their resistances.

Thus, the arms AB (r r r on the one hand, and CD (r r,;) on the other hand, could be obtained by the superposition of two series of identical plug-in units (to the nearest ohmic values) while the arm r of the top of the U would be obtained by means of a plug unit of another type, etfecting the coupling between the two previous stacks.

In reality however, there is an advantage, as has been assumed below, in causing the two homologous parts (outward and return) of the U circuit to be carried by a single plug-in unit.

Two types of plug units are thus utilized, namely:

The plugs 3 for the arms AB and CD of the U, these plug units 3 carrying two resistances (unless one of them has been eliminated, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3);

The other plug units 8 serving to effect the connection between the two arms (BC, FIG. 1) but being capable in addition of use for other purposes, as will be indicated later.

The plug-in units 8 can in fact be employed to support resistances to be mounted in parallel on the arm of the U (EF, FIG. 1) so that it is possible to produce at will a series-parallel circuit. It is of course also possible to obtain, whenever this is desired, stacks which comprise only resistances in parallel.

The form of embodiment shown by way of example in FIG. 1 is intended to form a circuit comprising the resistances in series r r r r r r and a resistance in parallel r The resistances in series, with the exception of the resistance r which forms the top of the U, are carried by plug units 3, each comprising, in a casing formed by two half-shells, two pairs of male and female elements 4 and 5 (FIG. 4), a resistance (r r being provided between the two elements of each pair. If one of the resistances is not required (FIG. 3) the connection is made by means of a single conducting member 10 forming a pin at one extremity and a socket at the other.

. The resistances such as r;,, r-, (FIGS. 1, 2 and 5) are carried by plug units 8, each comprising inside their casing two conducting members 11 forming a pin 4 at one extremity and a socket 5 at the other, theresistance being inserted between these two members (and being replaced in certain cases by a conducting wire, for ex ample if there is no resistance r;.;).

The casingof the plug units 3 or 8 will preferably 7 be constituted by two flat half-shells, moulded or machined fromnylon or other insulating material with a joint at 12 (FIG. 6) along the centre line of the thickness, the said shells imprisoning and anchoring the plug-in means 4 and 5, and the whole unit being made fluid-tight after placing in position the active members provided (resistances, short-circuits, potentiomcters) by glueing together, sealing, welding or the like.

FlG. 7 shows the constitution of a panel 1 with multiple junction points 2, 9 (that is to say sub-divided into groups of four jackets or sockets 9 connected together electrically at 2) and plug-in units or stacks 3 and 8 mounted on these junctions. It can be seen that it is possible to provide a large number of stacks of this kind in a very small space. Additional sockets 13 can be provided in the panel 1. It should be noted in addition that the fiat form of the plug-in units permits of easy handling by the operator's fingers. The lateral extremities 14 (FIG. 6) are preferably rounded, which enables still further space to be saved.

It will readily have been understood from the foregoing description that it is possible to prepare a linked network under excellent conditions, with small overall dimensions and giving infinite possibilities of variation of resistances, since the plug-in units :dcscribe d above engage one in the other withoutlimitatlon of number and with all the possible connections in series and series- In addition, it is preferable in this case to choose basic values for the stock of plug units which are avail; able, such that the figures in ohms are the same as the figures in mhos to-the nearest decimal factor. I

Thus, for the purposes of provisionof the plug-in units, the following rule can beadopted, which will comprise five basic values or five types of plug unit per decimal place: i

assuming that values in ohms are concern'ed,

Now it is clear that the basic values of, the same plugin units expressed as conductances, that is to say in mbos are as follows:

10 4 +t 10p+1 10p+1 This similarity of figures will greatly facilitate the operations and will avoid the necessity for a table of correspondence between the resistances and conductances, the supply of plug-in units being arranged in the form of boxes in which the plugs are arranged by decimal order and by basic value (five values in the case referred to above) and with figures which are easy to read.

It will be obvious in consequence of the foregoing de scription that the invention is in no way limited to those forms of application nor to the forms of embodiment of its various parts which have been more particularly considered; on the contrary, it includes all the alternative forms.

What I claim is:

1. An adjustable electrical network system which comprises, in combination, a panel of an insulating material, a plurality of jacks mounted in said panel, said jacks forming a plurality of groups, means mounted in said panel for electrically connecting together the jacks of each of said groups, and a multiplicity of plug units having each two pins and two sockets, the two pins of a plug unit being at a distance from each other equal to the distance between two of said jacks belonging respectively to two adjacent groups and the two sockets of a plug being also at this distance from each other, each of sai'd units having one of its pins electrically connected with one of its sockets and thc'other pin electrically connected'with the other socket, said units being of two kinds,'the units of the first kind having at least one rcsistor inserted between one of their pins and the socket with which said last mentioned pin is connected, each of said units of the first kind having its two pins insulated from each other and its two sockets insulated from each other, the units of the second kind having their two pins electrically connected together, the resistors incorporated inthese units being of different values, whereby an clcc trical loopfhaving the desired electrical characteristics, can be formed between two jacks belonging to two udjacent groups and located at said distance from each other by" a stack comprisinga series of units of the first kind plugged into one another and a unit of the second kind plugged into the top unit of said series, the bottom unit of sa d"stack having its pins plugged into said last two mentioned jacks, respectively.

2.} A system according to claim 1 in which each of said groups of jacks consists of four jacks all electrically connected to'a common joint.

References Cited in the file of this patent .UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,633,647 Row June 28, i927 2,373,156 Wilhelm Apr. 10, 19:15 

